The Olive Tree will be hosting the ONELESS Festival, its first-ever sustainable event. The ONELESS Festival is a zero-waste event that includes shopping opportunities, food and beverage offerings, and workshops.
“Before MCO, sustainable projects like Zero Waste and Plastic Free drew a lot of attention and generated a lot of movement among us. We made every effort to bring our containers for refills and take-out food. Given the restricted movement control, the outbreak has pushed us back a few paces,” said The Olive Tree’s founder and CEO, Law Hong Mei.
“I first learned about how plastic affects our life in 2017 when I saw a visual illustration of a plastic sushi roll. We are not only having an influence on our ocean, but we are also ingesting the repercussions of what we have done to our home (the ecosystem) – we are eating the trash. This acted as a wake-up call for me, prompting me to begin reducing my own plastic trash,” Law added.
Over 30 businesses selling local and sustainable food, crafts, personal care items, and household products are taking part in the #OneLessFestival, which is free to attend all weekend. There will be plenty of artisan and plant-based cuisine to choose from, as well as a package-free, environmentally friendly zone, seminars, and a plastic-free fun experience.
Visitors are encouraged to bring their own lunch boxes, reusable cups, and shopping bags in order to limit the amount of garbage produced during the event. Additionally, it also aims to enable businesses to contribute to sustainability by eliminating plastic from all packaging, including food and beverages.
Her Royal Highness Tengku Datin Paduka Setia Zatashah Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah of Selangor has been invited as the guest of honour to officiate the event. Her Royal Highness is unquestionably committed to her environmental efforts and is a strong advocate for sustainability. Her Royal Highness has focused her efforts on minimising single-use plastic and garbage, despite the fact that there are numerous environmental concerns that we face today (food).
One of the main highlights of the event would be the unveiling of “Last Tree In The City,” a meaningful art piece created by Reimagine Plastic by Hara Makers, utilising 5,000 plastic bags gathered from the community. A tree lacking green leaves will be substituted with brilliantly coloured plastic bags in the recycled plastic tree show. Though it’s visually stunning, the colourful plastic bags symbolise major pollution.
It serves as a reminder to be mindful when shopping and bring a reusable bag, as Malaysians throw away an average of 300 plastic bags each year. (source: Trashpedia by Zero Waste Malaysia).
Furthermore, the festival serves as a platform for members of the community to share and experience the newest sustainable initiatives, seminars, ideas, and products that encourage people to go plastic-free. NGOs and Social Enterprises will occupy around 20% of the event booths to offer their knowledge and ideas for reducing our environmental effect.
Participating NGOs and Social Enterprises
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In support of these endeavors, #OneLessFestival provides a location for the local community to recycle various sorts of plastic garbage, old clothing, E-waste, used cooking oils, and redeem free trees to help them construct a cleaner and greener environment.
During the two days, The Olive Tree will give 50% off second items. Customers are encouraged to bring their own 500ml containers to restock their daily necessities. Customers will also be given a RM1 discount if they return any clean and dry The Olive Tree’s bottle after their purchase.
The event will take place on May 28th and 29th, from 11a.m. to 6p.m, at Sunway Nexus. Visit The Olive Tree’s social media accounts @theolivetreecompany for updates!
